App analyst Sensor Tower says that the game netted as much as $21 million in its first four days, but pointed out that Nintendo's stock simultaneously hit a one-month low. Sensor Tower analyst Spencer Gabriel points out that only about eight percent of users who download Super Mario Run and play its first three levels go on to spend the requisite $10 to unlock the rest of the game.

"I don't think this is a statement on the game's quality," Gabriel says, "but rather the perceived value when compared to free-to-play games that offer much more content with optional microtransactions."

Currently available on iOS devices only, Super Mario Run will arrive on Android in 2017.